


Everyone Loves a Good Hug

by Ismira_Daugene



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: A bored Tony Stark is a dangerous Tony Stark, All the Avengers in the same room, Darcy Lewis is Tony Stark's Daughter, Gen, Phil Coulson to the rescue, maybe this wasn't a good idea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-15
Updated: 2016-06-15
Packaged: 2018-07-15 07:46:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,332
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7213837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ismira_Daugene/pseuds/Ismira_Daugene
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Avengers attend a lecture on sexual harassment in the workplace.  It goes about as well as can be expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Everyone Loves a Good Hug

**Author's Note:**

  * For [themonkeycabal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/themonkeycabal/gifts).



> This is based in the same universe as [themonkeycabal's Run 'Verse](http://archiveofourown.org/series/57783), and takes place before Age of Ultron.

Darcy would never be sure exactly how it happened. Had someone told her a week ago that all the Avengers would be at a mandatory SHIELD meeting on sexual harassment in the workplace, she most likely would have snorted in a very un-lady-like way before brushing them off. However there they were scattered unevenly around the table in a conference room at the New York SHIELD HQ.

When she thought about it a little though, Darcy figured half of the people around the table were there because of her. She wasn’t being conceited in thinking so… honestly. Tony Stark – the man who had self-labeled himself as a genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist – was definitely only there because she had threatened to get Pepper and Rhodey on his case if he didn’t. (No one could stand against the combined forces of Pepper and Rhodey together, or as she liked to call them, Hurricane Pepdey. [For some reason the name wasn’t catching on though.]) And while Steve probably thought that Bucky was there because of him, Darcy was 96.8% sure that it was because she’d finally relented to going to a 40’s themed dance club with him in the near future. Jane was there because Darcy had badgered her, and Thor was there because Jane was. Additionally, Clint had been reluctant to go until Darcy mentioned that there would be free donuts, fruit, coffee, and juice.

However the Avengers where getting restless, which was never a good thing. Tony had slowly started to become snarkier than usual, Clint was on his forth donut, Bucky was tensed up in his seat darting glances at the door (she casually placed a hand on his in an attempt to calm him), Natasha looked like she wanted to murder someone, and even Steve had started tapping fingers on the table in front of him. So when Agent Hallowell (the HR personnel in charge of the lecture) entered, Darcy sighed in relief.

“Good afternoon. I’m Agent Hallowell,” she stated as she walked to the front of the room. “As you know, we’re here today to discuss sexual harassment in the workplace.” She set down the tablet she’d been carrying and quickly transferred a prepared slideshow from it up onto the screen at the front. “Now, I know you are a unique group of people and not in a common workplace environment, but this information is still pertinent.” With that she turned to the slideshow and began clicking through the bland predictable slides.

Darcy tried to pay attention, but even she was starting to get annoyed at Agent Hallowell’s presumptuous tone and finger shaking. She seemed to be under the impression that everyone was either a victim or was guilty of sexual harassment in the workplace. Just as Darcy was considering coming up with some made-up emergency to get them all out of there, her father raised his hand. Agent Hallowell paused, unused to interruptions most likely. “Yes?”

“Agent….?”

“Hallowell.”

Darcy knew Tony hadn’t actually forgotten the Agent’s name in such a short space of time, and braced herself for what was to come.

“Right, Agent Hallowell… so say two co-workers are in a relationship,” he began, but Agent Hallowell cut him off.

“Workplace relationships are strictly frowned upon,” she interjected. “As is stated in the SHIELD handbook under The Lewis Clause.”

Bucky gave her an amused and curious grin to which she rolled her eyes and indicated she’d explain later.

Tony persisted though. “Right, but say they are. Would PDA be considered workplace sexual harassment?”

“Mr. Stark,” Agent Hallowell sighed. “I know that you and Miss Potts are in a relationship despite The Lewis Clause. To answer your question though, public displays of affection are not sexual harassment so long as they are consensual from both parties.”

“Okay, but what about like hugging? You know, some people are real huggers,” Tony said emphatically giving his daughter a one-armed hug. Darcy sighed. She should have figured there was only so long that Tony Stark could sit quietly through a presentation.

“Not all of your co-workers may appreciate being hugged. You should always ask before touching a co-worker.”

Clint suddenly perked up at this and Darcy intuitively knew that everything was going downhill from here. “Wait, you guys don’t like it when I hug you?” he asked in a mock-hurt voice. Clint never actually hugged anyone except maybe Darcy, but she knew he was just as bored as Tony and had apparently climbed aboard the Mock-Agent-Hallowell Ship eagerly. “I thought we were friends!” his voice was slightly higher than normal as he glanced around the table at the other Avengers.

“Oh Clint, we love your hugs!” Tony reassured. Darcy was pretty sure she heard Steve and Bucky snort. Tony turned back to Agent Hallowell. “Look what you’re doing to him! You can’t take away his hugs!” His voice held mock-outrage, but it was Clint’s puppy dog eyes that really sold it.

“Agent Barton…” Hallowell started, but Natasha interrupted her.

“You can hug me any time, Clint,” she stated placing an arm around his shoulders. Darcy couldn’t decide which was funnier, Agent Hallowell’s frustrated expression or the fact that Natasha had joined in the mocking.

“Thanks Nat,” Clint rested his head on her shoulder.

“You all know very well what I mean when…” Hallowell was definitely becoming irritated, but that didn’t stop Tony from interrupting her again.

“Haven’t you done enough damage? I mean look at the poor guy!” he gestured towards Clint, who was now hugging Natasha.

“I only meant…”

She tried desperately to salvage the lecture, but was once again cut off as the door to the conference room opened. Director Coulson stepped inside, gave one brief glance over the situation, and held up a dossier. "Sorry to interrupt,” he said not sounding sorry at all. “I have a matter that needs The Avengers attention immediately.”

“But Director!” Agent Hallowell objected. “I can’t count these people as present for the course if they don’t stay till the end!”

Coulson only gave her that tight-lipped smile and the blank face that Darcy had hated when she first met him. “I’m sure if you leave notes and printouts of the slides every Avenger will read it. I’ll be sure to pass around a sign-off sheet to confirm it.”

Clint, suddenly recovered from his mock breakdown, rose from his seat. “When the people need us, we must answer!” he cried as he headed toward the door.

“He’s right. It might be important,” Steve rose as well, prompting Bucky to go with him. Bucky grabbed hold of Darcy’s hand as he followed Steve.

“Well someone has to run flight ops,” Tony stated as he, Rhodey, and Pepper got up as well.

“They might need the Big Guy,” Bruce said quietly, rising from his seat at the same time as Natasha.

“I must aid my brothers in their fight against evil,” Thor stated righteously. He and Jane joined the queue filing out the door.

Darcy managed to see Agent Hallowell spluttering in frustration as her audience left. She chuckled, only feeling slightly bad for the woman. Ahead of her, Pepper and Coulson were chatting. “I see you got my message,” she said.

Phil nodded. “I was tempted to leave you all there, but then I imagined the damage and decided it wasn’t worth it. I see I arrived right in time.”

Pepper grinned, “Yes, thank you.”

“Alright, alright, come on!” Tony broke up the chat between the two. “Come on, I’ve got robots to build, and you’ve got a company to run,” he wrapped a possessive arm around Pepper’s waist and steered her towards the elevators.

Director Coulson nodded and waved them off before heading back to his office. The Avengers gathered around the elevator, waiting for the doors to open. “That was fun,” Clint grinned as the elevator dinged and the door slid open. “We should do that more often.”

The others chuckled as they squeezed into the elevator and hit the down button.


End file.
